Like so many other businesses, O'Reilly Auto Parts sets an expectation and then drops the ball on it. This bad business behavior is so common that for all intents and purposes, it might as well be intentional, which it very well may be, merely as the result of laziness.
They TELL you that they'll call you when your parts come in, but then they don't.
It may SEEM like a very minor thing, and it's true that a LOT of businesses do it (Probably the majority), but that doesn't mean the customer should look lightly upon it.
You made me a promise and then betrayed my trust.
You could have taken any one of a number of different approaches to earning your reputation.
You COULD HAVE just not said that you were going to call and then not called.
You could have said that you were going to call, and then called.
But no, you chose the absolute worst option and said that you were going to call and then didn't call.
Yes, I'm sure you have a perfectly fake excuse all cued up to provide you with plausible deniability, but guess what? Nobody is buying excuses where it's not backed up by evidence such as supporting documentation or some other form of transparency; i.e. no one is buying the baseless verbal claim anymore.
You're building your reputation; it's up to you to decide what KIND of reputation you want to earn for your business, and you determine that by your actions.
You shoot your own business in the foot whenever you set and expectation and then drop the ball on it.
The OPPOSITE approach is actually the one that will build you a GOOD reputation: Always UNDER-promise and OVER-deliver.
Could I have let this go? Sure. But I figure if I do, you'll never learn, you'll never self-correct, and your business will only get worse and worse until an entrepreneur such as myself decides to go into competition with you and take all of your market share away because I know your weaknesses.
I called you out on this BAD business behavior to draw attention to the fact that these things ARE noticed and they are NOT appreciated. This is the kind of business philosophy that drives your customers to your competition. Get smart. Wise up. Or go under. read more